(Juche Tower, Source : NK Youtube <Samjiyeon>)
Juche Ideology
Juche ideology is the foremost governing principle in North Korea that holds more binding force over all aspects of society than any other ideology or thought. It serves as the sole guiding philosophy in North Korea's politics, diplomacy, society, military, culture, and every other field.
The fourth article of the Socialist Constitution of the DPRK declares that "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) shall creatively apply the Marxist-Leninist to the actual conditions of our country as the guiding principle of its activities, which is the Juche ideology of the Workers' Party of Korea." The Rules of the WPK also confirm that "The Workers' Party of Korea is guided solely by the Juche ideology and the revolutionary ideas of the great leader Comrade Kim Il-sung.”
In North Korea, Juche ideology is defined as a "new philosophy centered on human beings." According to this philosophy, "human beings are the masters of all things and determine everything," and it is claimed that it first revealed "the decisive role of human beings in opening up the world and their destiny." Furthermore, "human beings" are defined as a "social being" with three characteristics, namely "naturalness," "creativity," and "consciousness."
In Juche ideology, it is believed that individual autonomy and creative abilities are not inherent traits, but rather a "socially formed and developed social attribute of human beings." As a result, it is considered that one cannot possess individual autonomy and creativity unless they are a part of society. This means that individuals can only exist in a meaningful way as part of a group, and their autonomy and creativity can only be secured when the group has autonomy and creativity.
Juche ideology views "the Juche" as a collective existence of individuals, rather than an individual itself, but it reduces these individuals to passive, obedient, and mechanical followers of Kim Il-sung and the Party, unified under a single thought and organization. Ultimately, the purpose of Juche ideology is not to foster the individual autonomy, creativity, and consciousness of North Korean citizens, but rather to manipulate and blindly guide them to increase the power of a single person's dictatorship.
In summary, Juche ideology can be viewed as a form of propaganda and agitation intended to cultivate a revolutionary spirit among the people and use them as instruments for the revolution, rather than a genuine ideology for the people. Even the concept of "independent ideological consciousness of the people" highlighted in Juche ideology is objectified and subject to "reformation" and manipulation according to the goals and desires of the leader. Ultimately, the people are merely the object of dictatorship, which asserts that they must be subject to the rule of the Kim Il-sung family.
s due to its foundation on the Suryong system of Kim Il-sung. In this political system, laws and systems have been transformed into tools for realizing the Suryong's ideology. The Juche Revolutionary Theory, the Ideology of The Succession, is the logic North Korea has proposed to establish a hereditary system from Kim Il-sung to Kim Jong-il to Kim Jong-un and to justify it.